


I Belong With You (You Belong With Me)

by justanoutlaw



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emma owns up to her mistakes in S1, F/F, F/M, Feelings Realization, Feels, Neal is a sweetheart, Polyamory, Pre-Relationship, Regina is just confused, SwanFireQueen, Swanfire - Freeform, Tea, Three idiots that just love Henry and want to do better by him, Threesome - F/F/M, True Love, firequeen, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2018-12-24 22:03:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12021954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: He didn’t know her as the Evil Queen like his father, Belle or the Charmings did. She had been civil around him in Neverland and ever since they returned. To him, she was just Regina.Or the story of how these three idiots came to be.





	1. The Start

**Author's Note:**

> So, I have had a few people ask me about how I thought Regina would feel about Neal coming back. A prequel to Wisdom. In this verse, my headcanon is that Pan’s curse never happened. On the boat back, Henry never had his body swapped, so they were all just able to settle down and be a family.

_I've been trying to do it right_  
_I've been living a lonely life_  
_I've been sleeping here instead_  
_I've been sleeping in my bed,_  
_Show me family_  
_All the blood that I would bleed_  
_I don't know where I belong_  
_I don't know where I went wrong-The Lumineers_

Regina walked up the stairs to the Charmings’ loft, with Henry by her side. “You have everything you need? I could run back and grab it for you.”

“I’m all set, Mom. I have half my stuff here.”

“Right, right.”

 

The door to the loft opened before they could even knock. Emma stood there, a smile on her face.

 

“Hey kid,” she said. “We’re so glad you’re coming to spend the weekend with us. We’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Henry said, wrapping his arms around her.

 

After they returned from Neverland, Regina and Emma sat down to have a long talk. Henry made it clear that he wanted to move back into the mansion, but also wanted to see Emma. Together, they had worked out a custody schedule. While Henry would obviously see his other mom around town and could visit her after school, he really only spent nights at the lofts every other weekend.

 

“Let’s go unpack your stuff,” Emma said. “Your dad’s waiting for us at the park.”

“Dad?” Regina raised an eyebrow. “Neal’s still in town?”

“Yeah, um…we’re sort of giving a relationship a shot again.”

 

Regina’s face faltered. She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised, she had seen the way Neal looked at Emma. Snow had told her about their confessions to one another. The two idiots were in love. She knew she shouldn’t be upset. Emma was never going to be attracted her, it was just how things were. They were co-parents, at the best, friends. That was how it was supposed to be.

 

“Well, good for you.” She kissed the top of her head. “I’ll pick you up from school on Monday, okay?”

“Okay. Bye Mom, love you,” Henry told her.

“I love you too, my sweet prince.”

 

Henry watched Regina walk away, not missing the look on her face. He wasn’t stupid, he knew how his moms felt about each other. Yet, he knew things were complicated. Clearly, Emma had feelings for Neal and he felt the same. Three people couldn’t all be in a relationship, could they?

 

Once he unpacked the bag he had brought, they headed to the park. The first bit of time was him and Neal dueling with the wooden swords that David had gifted him. Emma watched on with a smile, taking some pictures. An hour in, they settled down for a picnic before Henry ran off to say hi to some friends.

 

“So, Regina’s really letting you have weekends with him?” Neal asked Emma.

She nodded. “Yup, I feel pretty lucky. I know I didn’t handle this whole custody thing right from the beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she’s his mother. I never should’ve taken him out of the state to come see you, I know that now.”

“Wait…I always assumed that you two had an open adoption or whatever.”

Emma bit her lip. “No. I didn’t know where Henry had ended up until he came knocking on my door last year. Regina kept telling me to leave town, to stay away from him, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I just felt that there was something here and I was right.”

“You didn’t have to be near Henry to figure that out.”

“I know. I just…given how I grew up, I was scared.”

 

Neal could see the regret on Emma’s face. He knew her well, it wasn’t easy for her to admit that she had screwed up. As hard as everything had been on him, finding out that he had a son that he wasn’t told about, he had respect for Regina. He didn’t know her as the Evil Queen like his father, Belle or the Charmings did. She had been civil around him in Neverland and ever since they returned. To him, she was just Regina.

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t know all of the terrible things she had done. However, he and Henry had one important thing in common, both had been raised by villains. While his father hadn’t been the Dark One until his teens, he was still his father. He had been horrified by his actions, but he knew who his father really was deep down. He was still that man, under all the darkness. Neal knew that his papa loved him, just as Regina loved Henry. Both just had their own demons to battle.

 

He didn’t want to make the same mistakes as Emma. He wanted to be a part of Henry’s life. After missing 11 years, he didn’t want to lose another moment. Back in New York, he had told Emma that she didn’t get to make the decisions by herself anymore. The truth was, neither of them did. Henry had another parent and she deserved their respect in handling this crazy situation.

 

After Henry and Emma had gone back to the loft, Neal texted Regina asking if she was free to talk. She told him to come by the mansion in an hour. After stopping by his father’s house to change, he headed over. Regina’s house was most likely one of the biggest in Storybrooke, with only his own father’s rivaling it. Only the best for a queen, he supposed.

 

Regina opened the door, tilting her head to the side. “You came.”

“I told you I wanted to.”

“This has just caught me off surprise. Come in, I made tea.”

 

She lead him through to the kitchen, the two settling down at the table. The first few moments were quiet as they settled their cups, Neal adding a ton of sugar to his cup. Regina couldn’t help but snort, something he had yet to hear from her in the past.

 

“What?”

“Nothing, that’s just…that’s just how Henry takes his.”

“I didn’t take him for a tea drinking type.”

“He very well can’t have hot chocolate every day, as much as I’m sure he’d like to.” She sipped her own tea. “So, why did you want to see me?”

“Emma and I were talking about how she got to be in Henry’s life again. I don’t want to be the same way.”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I know you two worked out a custody schedule, but I want to be in his life too. I’m not asking for overnights, just time. If you don’t want that, if you don’t trust me, I understand.”

 

Regina studied the man in front of her. She had never known Milah, the most she had seen of her was in Henry’s storybook. She tried to figure out who he favored more, it seemed he had his father’s smile, with Milah’s hair. Henry had the same texture and color. Ever since she figured out just who Emma was, she figured it was Snow’s genetics. It was more than that, though.

 

He seemed calmer than his father. Had this been Rumpelstiltskin’s child, she had no doubt that he would be fighting just as hard as Emma once had. This was the man that had wanted to enact a curse just to find his child. Yet, Neal didn’t want that. He wanted her blessing. He certainly didn’t need it, but he had come nonetheless. She had just assumed that Henry would see his father.

 

“Also, even before Emma and I got together, we would do little things with Henry, just to show him that we were a family. Maybe…maybe we could do that, if you’d like,” Neal continued before she could say anything. “Dinner or something at Granny’s, once a week. Emma could come too.”

“You want us to have dinner?”

“I just think it’d be good for the kid to see that we all get along.”

“And why is this so important to you?”

Neal bit his lip. “My parents hated each other. This was a land where divorce wasn’t an option…which I’m sure you know better than anyone.” He saw a strike of pain go across her face and knew better than to press more on her marriage to the king. “Even so, I never really wanted them to be married. I just wanted the fighting to end, for them to be friends. Then maybe, all of us could’ve been happy. Sounds silly, I know…”

“It sounds exactly like what a kid would wish for,” Regina interrupted. “And probably exactly what Henry wants.”

“What do you want?”

Regina was quiet for a moment.  “I want him to be happy. For his whole life, it was just the two of us. Now, he’s found himself with more family than he knows what to do with.”

“To be fair, so do you.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“At the very least, you have me and Emma. We’re here for you, Regina. Raising a child cannot be easy and I give you credit for doing it alone.”

“Even if I was the Evil Queen?” Regina challenged.

“You weren’t the Evil Queen. You were his mother, you are his mother. That’s all that matters.”

“How are you this understanding?”

“Son of the Dark One.”

“Right. Almost forgot about that.”

“To be fair, I don’t have the scaly complexion that I’m sure you were used to.”

 

Regina snorted, taking another sip of her tea. There was something about Neal, not something she could quite put her finger on. This whole conversation was easy, much like her one with Emma had been a few months prior. There was no more tension, they weren’t saviors or villains, they were just Henry’s parents.

 

“I think dinners would be good,” she said after a few beats. “I’m assuming you’ll see him when he’s with Emma.”

“Of course. I appreciate this Regina, I really do.”

“Yes, well, I appreciate you coming and talking to me about all this.”

“We’re adults, it’s what we should do.” He finished up his tea and rose to his feet.  “I should get going.”

“Do you, um, do you want to stay for dinner?” The words fell out of Regina’s mouth before she could stop them. “I’m making lasagna, as always I made more than I can eat. I have photo albums from when Henry was younger, we could go over them together.”

Neal grinned. “I would love to see them.”

 

Regina slowly smiled and lead him into the den while the dinner finished cooking. There was something between them and it wasn’t just the love they shared for Henry and Emma.

 

They felt it for each other, too.

 

A few weeks later, Emma sat across from two of them, trying to focus on what they had just said. Both had been talking a mile a minute, trying to explain things. Neal had articles he had printed out from the internet, Regina was sharing her own stories from what she had seen in the Enchanted Forest. None of that had really stuck, though.

 

They both loved each other and they both loved her.

 

She had gone from someone who wasn’t loved by anyone, to having her parents and Henry. Then Neal and Regina. A part of it was so overwhelming, she could hardly think.

 

She would be lying if she said that she hadn’t always felt some sort of attraction between her and Regina. There was always some sort of sexual tension between them at all times, but there was just never a time for it to be explored. By the time the curse broke, she thought her feelings would change, but they hadn’t. Not even when Neal came back into her life and she realized that she loved him too. Now they were telling her that they felt the same.

 

“This almost seems to easy,” she blurted out, interrupting yet another statistic that Neal was reading off. “I mean, come on. We’ve all seen the movies. In these situations, the person has to choose between the two people she loves. And now…now I could just have you both.”

Regina nodded. “We don’t have to choose between each other. We can just be together, we can be happy.”

“But…but it’s not supposed to be this easy. There has to be a catch.”

“Emma,” Neal took her hand. “Look at everything we’ve been through. Portals and curses, losing each other, things have finally settled down. Everyone’s getting a happy ending, my parents and yours, even Grumpy and Nova. Why can’t we just all finally be happy?”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Regina added. “Things will be hard, especially as we figure it out, but we can do it. If there’s one thing your idiot parents have taught me is that true love isn’t easy, but once you find it, you don’t let it go. It has to be fought for.”

 

Emma looked between the two of them, letting out a deep breath.

 

“I don’t know how this is going to work, but I want it to…more than anything.”


	2. Wisdom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was submitted to me by littlereddove from a drabble post I reblogged: “Why did I marry you?”

Emma’s second pregnancy had been as unplanned as her first. However, it was also different. This time around, she knew she would be raising the baby. She also knew, she wasn’t alone. Not only did she have her parents and Henry by her side, she also had her husband and wife.

 

For Neal, the pregnancy was a roller coaster of emotions. He hadn’t gotten to raise Henry until he was 11 years old. They had made up for what they could, but nothing could give him back those years. This baby was not a replacement, merely a chance to get all those little moments.

 

As for Regina, she was just excited to be a mother again. She was cautious with the emotions that she knew Emma and Neal would feel surrounding the birth of their second child. She had been able to take care of Henry since infancy. However, for her, it was going to be all new. Parenting a baby together was going to be far different than doing the same with a teenager.

 

When Emma was in prison, the months went by so slowly. Being a busy mother, wife and sheriff, her second pregnancy seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, they had set up a nursery (decorated in black and white, since they didn’t know the sex of the baby) and car seats had been installed into each of their vehicles. Emma had declined a baby shower, but Snow and Belle seemed to be stopping by every day with a new outfit or toy. Henry had built a library for the little one, overflowing three bookshelves.

 

Emma’s due date came and passed. Exactly one week after it, she finally began to feel the telltale contractions. Regina sat with her in the back as Neal zoomed to the hospital. By the time she was admitted, she was finding it hard to ignore the pain.

 

“You know, we still haven’t picked a name,” Regina said, trying to distract her.

Neal nodded. They had tossed some around and of course, their entire family had given their two cents, but they had nothing. “That’s right.”

“I can’t even think of anything right now,” Emma grunted. “One of you pick.”

“Hmmm…how about Yaz?”  Neal playfully suggested, wanting to lighten the mood.

Emma gave him a glare so hard, he was surprised to still be alive. “Why did I marry you?”

“Because you love me,” he gave her his cunning smile.

“In all seriousness,” Regina interrupted with a smirk. “How about Baelfire?”

“Um, no, we are not naming the baby after me.”

“Why? You don’t even go by that.”

“He’ll get made fun of. Plus, it could be a girl.”

“I’ve just had this feeling that it’s going to be a boy.”

Emma rubbed her swollen stomach. “I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, I just want him or her out of me.”

 

The labor seemed to last as long as the pregnancy did. Emma’s dilation started to become so slow, that the doctor talked about sending her home. Just as they were ready to head back, Emma’s water broke and things started going very fast. Neal and Regina were on either side, holding tightly to her hands. Both were silent, knowing she wasn’t one for words of encouragement. Finally, the cries of their newborn baby could be heard.

 

“It’s a girl,” the doctor called out.

 

For once, there was something that even Regina was wrong about. Neal would vow to never let her live it down, but he was too much in awe of his daughter. After cutting the cord, he and Regina helped swaddle her in the blanket that Granny had knitted, handing her to Emma. She felt the tears gather in her eyes as she stared down at her daughter. She never got to hold Henry, she hadn’t allowed herself. Her heart swelled with emotions as she stroked her cheek. There were no words she could say, she just adjusted the baby and smiled down at her with tears falling down her cheeks.

 

Neal held her as she delivered the afterbirth, falling in love with her just as he had Henry the first time he saw him. That was when he knew, it didn’t matter, whether getting to meet them when they were minutes old or 11, he would always love them just the same. He passed her to Regina next and he can see her crying for the first time since Neverland. The baby has wormed her way into her heart. She’s her daughter, no matter who’s blood runs through her veins.

 

They knew people would want to come and visit as soon as they found out. They wanted Henry to meet his sister, for their parents to meet their newest grandchild. At the same time, they wanted to cherish their daughter before anyone else got to lay eyes on her.

 

“She looks just like Henry did,” Regina whispered. “Except, he already had dark hair. She has blonde.”

“Many babies are born with blonde hair,” Emma tried to dismiss. “We don’t know that hers will stick.”

“I don’t know,” Neal murmured. “I think it might.”

“I guess only time will tell.” And hit her, she’d actually be around to see it.

“I…I think I have a name, if you two want to hear it,” Regina said.

“Go for it.”

“Sofia.”

Emma grinned. “I love it.”

Neal nodded. “It’s sweet.”

“Sofia Cassidy Swan-Mills,” Emma whispered.

 

It was a name that meant wisdom, but it was also a name that represented them all.

 

Sofia had been born into a crazy family tree, that much was certain. She was also guaranteed to never lack for love.


	3. Of Cribs and Couches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m basing this loosely on what we know about season 7, so some spoilers, but really only Henry’ s daughter and her mother. The rest (this whole new curse), didn’t happen.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Regina said from her spot on the couch. Neal and Emma looked up, the latter of which blew a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes.

“Would you like to help us, your majesty?” Emma asked.

Regina flipped through a page in her magazine. “If you’d just let me use magic…”

“No, all magic comes with a price,” Neal interrupted her, instantly. “I don’t want our granddaughter paying it.”

“As if I’d let anything ever harm a single hair on her head.”

 

As much as they were squabbling, deep down all of them were very excited. Henry had met Cinderella in his late teens, when another storybook’s characters came to life. Many of them were similar to the town’s residents, all with a twist of course. The two fell in love and were married by the time college rolled around. They left town together and not long after graduation, found out they were expecting.

 

Neal, Regina and Emma had gone down to Boston to visit the baby a handful of times, but this was the first time they were coming to Storybrooke. Henry’s room was prepared for him and his wife, but they had transformed one of the guest bedrooms into a nursery. The colors were warm yellows, with Lucy’s name sprawled across the wall in cursive lettering. Regina had filled it with just about every book she could find while Emma had selected a few toy cars (including a yellow bug). Neal had gone a bit overboard when it came to stuffed animals.

 

“It’s still weird to think we’re grandparents,” Neal commented from his spot on the ground. “Aren’t we a little young for that?”

“Well, I am,” Emma said. “You’re like over 200 years old, Gina’s pushing what, 80?”

Regina’s eyes narrowed. “Neal, I think she should sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Agreed. Us old folk need our sleep.”

Emma poked out her tongue, somehow proving that she was still the youngest of the three. “As if you two could sleep without your personal space heater.”

 

The two just smirked, Emma and Neal going back to the crib. They had finally finished up when they heard a car pulling up in the driveway. The three raced down the stairs, throwing the door open before Henry and Cinderella could even make their way up the steps. Neal took the bags from his son while Regina busied herself stealing the car seat, not caring that her partners were sending her a death glare for getting to be the first to hold a baby.

 

“Mom, Dad, chill,” Henry said with a smirk. “We’re here a whole week, you’ll have plenty of time to hold Lucy.”

“If you think we’re bad, just wait until Snow and David show up,” Neal replied, setting the bags by the stairs. “Snow has bought her a ton of outfits.”

“How has she not bought out the entire country’s supply?” Cinderella asked, giggling. “She just sent us another care package last week.”

“As if Belle’s any better,” Emma piped up. “I’m pretty sure that Lucy is going to have her own library if she has it her way. And Rumple wants to get her a wand.”

“What kind of family did a marry into?” Cinderella teased.

Henry chuckled. “A pretty crazy one.”

 

Regina was too busy being taken with her precious granddaughter. Lucy mostly looked like her mother, but there were bits of Henry in there, like the nose. She was a wiggly baby, just as he had once been. Emma and Neal walked to her side, each subtly wrapping an arm around her. She leaned back into them, letting out a content sigh.

 

Awhile back, she had told Henry that one day he’d have more family than she knew what to do with. In a way, she was making a secret wish to herself, that she would find the same and she had.

 

Neal kissed her cheek and started making funny faces at his granddaughter. A smile went across her face, causing him to fist pump.  “There we go, Grandpa got a smile!”

“Probably just gas,” Regina mumbled with a smirk.

“Hush,” Neal told her, pecking her lips.


	4. Defending Regina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by anonymous on Tumblr: SwanFireQueen Prompt - Neal and Emma coming to Regina's defence when newcomers to town don't see the redemption she has fought for (a bit like when Marian assumes she's the Evil Queen).

Regina had forgotten how nice strolls through the park with a baby could be. She had done them all the time when Henry was a baby and now little Sofia was old enough to enjoy them as well. One of their gifts from Snow had been an old fashioned pram, like one they would’ve had in their homeland, and Sofia absolutely loved it. She kicked her chubby legs and clutched onto her favorite plush dragon. (A gift from her auntie Mal.)

 

Just as they rounded the corner, Regina caught sight of a familiar face. The woman saw her at the same time, as did her husband, who jumped in front of her. Regina frowned.

 

“Odette, Derek, when did you two get here?”

“Rothbart cursed our kingdom here,” Derek growled. “Though, we’re sure you had something to do with it.”

“I didn’t, I swear.” Regina sighed. “Listen, I know what I did to Odette and I’m sorry. I’ve changed…”

“You’ve changed?” Odette scoffed. “That’s rich.” Her eyes went to the pram and she walked a little closer. “Did you kidnap that baby too? No one would ever dare to have one with you.”

 

Regina felt the anger boiling in her veins, even though she knew the taunting was justified. Everyone in town knew that she was redeemed, a better person. Yet, Derek and Odette hadn’t come over during the curse. They just knew her as the Evil Queen, the one who had cursed Odette to become a swan out of spite. Things had worked out, when Derek proved that he loved her for what was inside rather than her outer beauty. Yet, it was clear that it didn’t matter to them anymore.

 

“Name one good reason why we shouldn’t take you down right here, right now?” Derek asked.

“Because I am the mayor of this town. What happened in the past, is the past. Can’t you just enjoy what you have now?”

“I don’t think so.”

“What’s going on here?”

 

The group turned to find Emma and Neal heading towards them. Odette’s face lightened a bit.

 

“Emma, hello. We were just trying to deal with this queen.” She narrowed her eyes. “It’s about time she got what she deserved.”

“You aren’t going to do anything to her.” Emma put a hand on her wife’s back. “She’s paid for all she’s done.”

“She’s walking free, clearly she hasn’t.”

Neal shook his head. “You have no clue what Regina has been through. The two of you are new to this town, and also not the ones who are in charge.”

“You actually want her to be the mayor?” Derek asked in disbelief.

“Not only is she the mayor, but she is our wife. You are not going to lay a hand on her.”

“You’re married to such a monster?”

“She is not a monster, she is a human being who made a lot of mistakes, but she has paid for them.”

“I am also the sheriff,” Emma added. “If you lay a hand on her, I promise you, you’ll regret it.”

 

Derek and Odette glared at the trio before storming away. Regina bent down, lifting her daughter from the pram and cuddling her close.

 

“You okay, babe?” Neal asked.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” She sighed. “I thought all of that was over, everyone here knows what I’ve done and how much I’ve changed.”

“I guess we didn’t account for newcomers.”

“Odette and Derek won’t be here long,” Emma assured her. “We’ve been working on a way to get them back to Swan Lake.”

“I don’t need you two to protect me,” Regina said. “I’ve dealt with a lot worse than a spoiled king and queen who want to get their revenge.”

“You’re not alone anymore, Regina. Just because you can handle this by yourself, doesn’t mean you have to.”

“For better or worse,” Neal reminded Regina, putting an arm around her waist. “They’re not in their land anymore, they don’t have any power here. They have to deal with our ways or they’re free to find their own way back to their land.”

Regina shook her head. “We need to help them. No one should be trapped somewhere they don’t want to be.”

 

Neal and Emma shared a smile. If that wasn’t a sign of how much Regina had changed, they weren’t sure what would be. All that mattered at the end of the day, was that their family saw it. They’d send Odette and Derek home eventually. In the meantime, they’d make sure that they didn’t touch a hair on Regina’s head.


	5. First Day of School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous on Tumblr wanted to see some SwanFireQueen. I decided to rework a one shot I wrote awhile ago to fit this verse. :) Emma and Regina decide it’s time for Sofia to go to pre-school...Neal is hesitant. Since Neal never died, Snowing named their baby boy, Charlie.

Emma and Regina stood in the doorway of the living room, watching as Sofia pounced on top of her father, grabbing at his hair.

 

“Oh no! I’m under attack!” Neal chuckled, pretending to be scared.

“No mercy!” The 4-year-old squealed back.

“What can Daddy do to get out?”

Sofia scrunched up her lips as she thought for a minute. “Two kisses and a hug!”

“Ah, that’s a good deal,” He sat up, enveloping her in a big hug and giving her two kisses, one on each cheek.

“You’re too soft, Sof,” Emma commented. “I would’ve made him get me some ice cream, too.”

“Mommy! Mama!” Sofia hopped off her father’s lap and ran over, jumping into Emma and Regina’s awaiting arms. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too, my sweet girl,” Regina told her, nuzzling her face against hers. “But guess what, tomorrow Mommy and Mama have the day off and we’re going to have a girly day!”

“Yay!”

 

Neal smiled at the two of them. Despite Emma giving birth to Sofia, he saw so much of Regina in her. His father said there had to be magic at play there. He walked over, kissing Emma and Regina quickly.

 

“Girly day, huh? What’s Daddy supposed to do?”

“Daddy can go hang out with his papa and Gideon, because it’s just us and this little girl. Soon, on my days off she’ll be in school.”

Neal raised an eyebrow. “School’s not for another year.”

 _Oops._ Emma thought to herself. She slowly set Sofia down. “Mommy, Mama and Daddy will be right back, Lovebug.” They lead Neal into the kitchen. “We need to talk.”

“About…”

“I know originally we agreed she didn’t need pre-school…”

“Because she doesn’t. I teach her stuff here.”

“I know but there’s something you can’t teach her,” Regina said.

“And that is…?”

Emma sighed, running a hand through her golden curls. “She is attached to you, Neal.”

“Emma, we talked about this, she loves both of you.

“Yes and I’m not just talking about myself with her. It’s anyone. Hell, she’s very attached to both of us, to our whole family. The other day when I took her to an activity at the library, she refused to interact with any kids until Charlie showed up.”

“One incident, maybe she was having an off day.” But he knew that it wasn’t just that. Sofia had no problem playing with Charlie, Gideon and Roland. Any new kids though and she was instantly closed off. He knew they were partially to blame. With such a large family, babysitters were their parents or the people who had become a part of their lives (like Robin and Marian).

Regina bit her lip. “Neal, she needs to make more friends. She can’t…she can’t be like us.”

 

Heavy silence fell across the room. Emma grew up as a lonely foster child, never being able to keep friends for very long before she was moved to her next placement. Before Storybrooke, she had only ever had one best friend: Lily and that was short lived. Neal was the son of the village’s coward turned Dark One. No one ever wanted to play with him, which made his father pretty much his only friend. At first, it didn’t bother him. As he grew older, it did. Even Regina, as Cora’s daughter, hadn’t been able to make any friends and she had isolated herself as the Evil Queen.

 

It was true, Sofia would never be alone, she’d always have their crazy, twisted family tree to fall back on. But at the end of the day, there weren’t that many younger children for her to connect with.

 

“I know you’re right,” Neal finally said. “I just don’t know if she’s ready.”

“Well she’ll learn; kindergarten is going to be a bitch though if we don’t try to break her of this co-dependency,” Emma said.

“She may not be the only one who’s not ready.”

Regina lightly smiled, pulling him close to her and resting her forehead against his. “It’s 5 hours.”

“5 hours, 5 days a week. I’ve only been away from her for a day at the most.”

“I know.”

“I was supposed to have another year,” he mumbled. “You can avoid pre-school, you can’t kindergarten. That was going to be my rationalization.”

“Think of this way,” Emma whispered. “If she makes new friends, it’ll mean playdates.”

Neal winced. He loved his little brother and brother-in-law (still weird for him that a 8-year-old was that to him), but the thought of lots of kids running around didn’t make him happy. “That sounds like a lot of work.”

Emma laughed. “Not here, but at the other children’s houses. And if I come home early enough from the station and Regina from the office…”

“We could have playdates of our own,” he winked at her.

“Exactly,” Regina pecked his lips. “She’ll be fine. She’s our kid after all, she’s tough.”

* * *

 

The day came sooner than any of them would’ve liked, but they put on brave faces. Emma helped Sofia select her outfit. A part of her knew the best route would be for her to not pick one of her “Sofia inspired” outfits, but another part wanted her to be comfortable. The blonde chose a white sundress with watermelons that lined the bottom and light blue leggings, so it wasn’t as bad as it could be.

 

Emma then set to work on braiding her daughter’s hair. It wasn’t a skill she had learned growing up, more so one that Snow had to teach her. Finally, the blonde knelt in front of her little girl, putting on a brave smile.

 

“So Ladybug, I need you to take care of something for me today, alright?”

“What is it, Mommy?”

Emma pushed her own blonde curls away from her neck and unhooked the chain, soon holding out the necklace that contained the keychain Neal had given her all those years ago. “You wanna know who gave me this?”

“Who?”

“Daddy,” Emma explained, hooking it around the little girl’s neck. “And whenever I wear it, I feel close to him. So when I touch it, it’s like I’m holding his hand. Now, since I wear it, when you touch it, it’ll feel like both me and Daddy are giving you a really big hug, okay?”

Sofia smiled. “Okay, Mommy.”

 

They went downstairs and had breakfast with Henry, who was starting the first day of his senior year, along with Regina and Neal. Sofia and Henry chatted the entire time, while their parents had a conversation with their eyes, assuring them that their little girl would be okay.

 

“Alright,” Regina announced, once they were done. “Time for a picture!”

“Mom,” Henry complained.

“It’s your last first day of high school and it’s your sister’s first day of school ever,” she said, waving him off. Sofia jumped into her brother’s arms, causing him to chuckle and hold her, so she was tipping backwards a bit. Emma beamed and snapped a picture with his phone.

 

Henry headed out to his truck, it used to be David’s but he upgraded around the time Henry began driving so he gifted it to him. Emma strapped Sofia into her car seat before getting into the bug with her spouses. They drove to the pre-school and headed inside. Once they reached the door, Sofia took one look at all the kids already there and turned around to do what the (Cassidy) Swan-Mills did best…run. Neal knelt in front of her, grabbing her gently.

 

“Hey Princess, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered.

“Too many kids,” Sofia replied quietly.

“I know there are a lot of kids, but just think of it as a ton of friends.”

Emma  and Regina crouched down beside her husband, stroking Sofia’s curls. “Mommy, Mama and Daddy will be back to get you later,” Regina said. They kissed her cheek on each side, making her smile.

“I love you,” she told them.

“We love you too, Princess,” Neal replied. They lead her into the room, where Ashley was. She would be Sofia’s teacher, which made the parents feel a little better. The woman showed the little girl how to hang up her jacket and backpack. Suddenly, a little girl with raven hair ran over.

“Hi Sofia!” She squealed, this was Ruby and Dorothy’s daughter, Emerald. Emma had met her a few times.

“Hi,” Sofia replied, still feeling a little shy.

“Wanna color with me?”

The little girl looked back at her parents, who smiled. “Go on Ladybug,” Emma assured her.

 

Sofia walked off with Emerald, so Emma and Neal left the room. Neal let out a long deep breath willing himself not to cry. When he looked over at Regina though, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

 

“Oh Regina,” he whispered.

“She’s such a big girl now!” Regina said, biting her lip. “She’s so independent…she has been for a while, it’s just hard.”

“I know baby, I know.” Neal enveloped her in a big hug, kissing the top of her head.

“She’s growing up too fast.”

“I’ve been telling you.”

 

Regina wiped her tears before gently kissing him. They looked over at Emma, who was clearly trying to act like her husband and wife were the dorkiest people in the world, but she had tears in her eyes too. Neal grinned and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her cheek.

 

“We should go, let her start her own adventure.”


End file.
